This Wood and Spirit
by Filiafamilias
Summary: His sister would rather die for humanity than live for him. Angry, disappointed and bitter, prince Nuada turns away from his people's cowardice in disgust, determined to follow his own sense of honour and duty. However, Fate, the Bureau and Hellboy, to name a few, are not yet quite done with the Prince.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: His sister would rather die for humanity than live for him. Angry, disappointed and bitter, prince Nuada turns away from his people's cowardice in disgust, determined to follow his own sense of honour and duty. However, Fate, and the Bureau, are not quite done with the prince.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellboy. I do not make money out of writing this fanfic.

* * *

**This Wood and Spirit**

Ch 1

_"Out of this wood do not desire to go..."_

The prince watched with derision how, in a deliberately loud voice, the so-called director of this 'Bureau' urged a few of his underlings to divide their trash and do their bit for a 'cleaner planet'. The hasty glances Mannings threw him only made it all the more obvious that Manning's urgings were more for the director's own sake than for the planet's. Undoubtedly the director was trying to impress the prince by appearing concerned about the environment, and thereby weasel himself into Nuada's good graces. Ha. What a farce.

He purposely trailed his fingers lovingly over his favored weapon, the silver spear, while staring straight at the self-important director. The man promptly tripped over his own words, before hastily retreating to safer grounds, followed by most of his underlings. All of them gave the prince a wide berth. He sneered as he smelled the pungent scent of fear exuding from the humans. Even though he was now residing among them, they were right to fear him.

"You gotta teach me how to do that." The prince just curled his lip, not deigning to answer. The red behemoth apparently didn't seem to be bothered by the prince's animosity towards him. Hellboy leaned at the wall next to the prince, striking a match to light his cigar. "Ever since a little stint in a tomb he seems to believe I am actually a good guy at heart. Now he just isn't that intimidated by me anymore... A real shame."

Still, the prince didn't care to respond. He just stared at the wall, effectively ignoring the big demon. The demon was content enough with the silence, enjoying his cigar. They made quite the pair to the personnel of the bureau that hurried by. Both the Elf and the demon were quite a bit taller than the average human. But where one was pale, the other was a deep red. Hellboy seemed to not have a care in the world, where the prince seemed to be quite ready and eager to lay waste to that world.

Finally having finished smoking his cigar, Red squished the bud between thumb and pointer finger before mindlessly tossing it in the trash. The prince noted how it landed in the section bearing the sign 'plastic only'. Nuada smirked. How juvenile.

"Now how about we work off some of that energy? I want a rematch for this morning. This time I am going to smash that uppity, royal face of yours."

"We'll see." Having finally wrested a response from the taciturn prince Hellboy perked up, swinging his arms, working his muscles loose.

"This time you are going down, princey."

Nuada smiled a rather bloodthirsty smile in answer, as he raised his lance to rest on his shoulder while accompanying Red to the built-in dojo.

* * *

"Ouchouchouchou-"

"Shut up and take it like a man." Liz mercilessly pressed the wad of cotton doused with antiseptic to one of the series of cuts littering all over the red demon's skin. She wore a frown as she administered to her love.

"Next time you will be sparring without anything sharp or pointy. This is the third time today that I have to patch you up. The third time!" She threw the used wad into a bin standing next to their bed where it joined a dozen more.

"Seriously Red, why do you have to be the one to constantly play mitigator between that elf and the rest of the bureau?!" Beneath her irritation was real fear. Hellboy reached up to lightly caress her face. Stress was not good for her or the babies, but what could he do?

"Besides him being the only one who can give me a true challenge in this place? You know why Liz. I need to make sure you and the kids will be taken care of. If something ever happens."

The pyro sighed deeply before laying a sweet kiss on his lips. "The whole world may claim to know your destiny, I know _you_. You will never do anything that could harm the kids or me."

He smiled tenderly, gently pulling Liz down to him to gather her in his arms. "Thanks for your faith in me, babe." However, Hellboy was determined to plan for the worst case secenario, and that irritating Elf prince was at the centre of Hellboy's plans. However, Nuada was mightily uncooperative... and Red hadn't even told him what he had planned. Somehow Red had a sinking suspicion that the Elf might spite him, just for the heck of it.

Damn Elf.

* * *

The problem was that Nuada hadn't lost any of his hatred towards the human race. And from one day to the next he found himself living among them. It was enough to make him even more unbearable towards whoever dared to approach him. Hellboy got the Elf to spar with him, only because apparently the prince _did_ get tired to shadow-fighting himself the whole day. But any attempt at conversation was rebuffed rather brutally.

Even his own sister was given the cold shoulder. Which made Abe frown, as Nuala took her brother's disdain towards her quite hard. However, it was to be expected after what happened in Bethmoora; even Hellboy couldn't begrudge the prince his animosity towards his sister.

All in all the atmosphere in the bureau compound was rather tense.

And it drove some people up the walls.

"They're at it again!" The human firestarter stood with clenched fists at one of the windows with unobstructed view of the sparring room. "And I said no more sharp or pointy objects! Why doesn't Red ever listen to me!" Unnoticed by the woman flames started licking around her hands as her anger and worry started to flare.

Others noticed though and started to back away. This was going to turn ugly. Better avoid the pregnant, hormonal woman as much as possible.

Luckily, not all personnel was of the dumb male variety.

A young woman's face actually lit up as she saw Liz, and instead of making herself scarce, she quickly approached the other woman.

"Liz!"

Startled out of her turbulent thoughts, Liz turned towards the person calling her name. The flames sizzled for a moment before disappearing. The other woman didn't bat an eye though and stopped at the pyro's side. She threw a glance into the sparring room, momentarily distracted before giving her attention to Liz. She hesitantly reached out to place her hand on Liz' shoulder.

"How about some tea? You look like you can use a cup." The softly worded request had the unexpected result of making Liz burst out in tears, whether from anger or worry even she didn't know.

It had the added effect of chasing the last few straggling men from the room. Even the other woman looked perhaps a bit perplexed and uncomfortable at what she had wrought with her well-meant offer.

"Come on, let's get somewhere a bit more private. Don't worry about big Red, they won't kill each other. "

"Maybe not today, but Nuada, he- Well, he could have killed Red twice before, and I worry that when his patience with this whole stupid situation runs out he _will_ kill Red this time. Third time's the charm right?! And where would that leave me?! Alone with two kids! How will that..." The rest was pretty much lost in her tears.

At a loss for words, the other woman led Liz from the hallway, away from the sparring room. She pressed Liz into a comfortable seat in one of the smaller personnel break rooms, conveniently empty.

She turned on the water to boil, rummaging in her handbag for some tea.

"And I don't want any more tea! I want coffee!"

Oh dear.

* * *

How to comfort and calm a crying woman? A pregnant, crying woman?!

As Lark busied herself with the preparations for tea, she felt very out of her depth. She always felt very inadequate when it came to comforting people. Her attempts in the past had always been rebuffed, and multiple times the grief had turned into anger, usually directed at her. Most hurtful things were said at times like that.

So what should she do? What could she do? She poured the hot water into two glasses and set them on the table, placing some tea and a tea ball next to it.

"It's not coffee, because, you know, that would be bad for the babies, the caffeine. So, this tea doesn't have any of that particular substance either. It's tastes great though, and very soothing for your nerv- for the spirit. It's not a drug though! Or anything like that! It has some herbs, and just a sprinkle of, uhm.." Lark realised she was rambling and quickly shut up. She felt her cheeks heat up, but was rewarded for her efforts when Liz stopped crying to give her a watery smile.

"It will no doubt taste wonderful, though nothing can replace coffee. Or beer. Wine is also good. But I would kill for a coffee right now. God, I feel so... so not myself. One moment I'm happy, the next I'm in tears. I worry and worry and worry. I am excited but also very, very... scared! And this whole situation with Nuada works on my nerves. What if that guy hurts Red badly? And Red is so busy with him, while he should spend a bit more time arranging for when the babies arrive, with _me_! I sound awful, I know, but who cares about that pale freak, _I_ am the one who's going to have not one but two demon-human babies! No one knows what to expect: even the length of this pregnancy is a subject of debate. And all Red is doing is getting his behind handed to him by that arrogant, psychopathic, all-humans-must-die, Elven supremacist!"

"Ah, yes, I see." And Lark did, but she had no clue what to say to that.

"I know why Red is trying to butter up Nuada, but I have faith in Red, we don't need precautions for something that will _never_ happen." Liz' faith in Red was absolute.

"Well, I think Hellboy is actually thinking things through here. Not to say he never does, but he can be very impulsive." Lark said carefully, not wanting to sound insulting towards Liz' boyfriend.

Liz snorted. "Impulsive is like his middle name. He hardly ever thinks things through, I will be the first to agree with you on that."

"It's just the word 'never'. When we say something will never happen, it undoubtedly will. The word is, in my opinion, really jinxed."

Liz nodded. "You might be on to something. Especially around this place."

"So I think Red has started to think about this destiny of his. And even though we all believe in him not to bring about the end of the world, your pregnancy might have led him to think 'what if?'. And like any good father, he wants his kids to be safe."

Lark filled the tea ball with the tea leaves before dipping it into Liz' glass, gently stirring the brew. The other woman dragged a hand through her short hair and sighed deeply.

"It's the responsible behaviour that I want to see from Red. I guess it's just that the situation is so aggravating: prince Nuada doesn't even want to listen to him, or to anyone else! None but Red can even get close enough to him. Either the prince leaves the room or he gets _us_ to leave." Liz shivered. "He's one cold, ruthless SOB. I don't like the fact that Red's contingency plan resolves around the most anti-human being I have ever met. Expecting him to give asylum to humans when the End of Times is upon them sounds more like a really bad joke."

"If you have the right leverage..."

"Leverage doesn't help when you can't even get the prince to acknowledge the potential leverage. He just don't want to have anything to do with us. I have never seen someone so good at evading any and all contact."

"He must be terribly alone in the midst of so many people."

Liz scoffed. "Now don't feel sorry for the prick. He's not worth the time or effort. Anyways, I guess Red will wear him down at some point and then he will hopefully listen to what Red and the Bureau have to say."

"Maybe a peace offering will help?" Lark had finished making both cups of tea. She pushed the sugar closer to the pyro.

"Don't you think they haven't tried it? Except for offering the thing he most wants, I think we have tried everything, which is actually very little... There are very few things we can think of which will please an Elven prince."

"It's a small miracle he's still here."

Liz sighed. "What would you do if we hold your sister over your head? Even though he doesn't speak a word to her, he cares deeply for her wellbeing, we all know that. The implied threat that we would imprison her to keep him from doing something foolish still seems enough to keep him here, where we can keep an eye on him. Though if Abe and Nuala get even more lovey-dovey with each other he might rethink his decision to stay here as our 'guest'; he can't stand how cute they are together."

"They _are _cute together." Lark agreed wholeheartedly.

Liz took a sip of her tea. "Ohh, hot! But good. I like this." A few more sips. "I like this a lot."

Lark glowed at the compliment. "I hoped you would. I tried to remember what you liked before, and so I thought to make you something nice, you see, and without any of the stuff that can be bad for babies. And you have been so nice to me since I have started working here and I wanted to do something back for you, and Hellboy, and, well, the tea is just a start. And, er..."

"You made this for me? Thank you!" Liz smiled, genuinely surprised and pleased. "It's very thoughtful of you, very sweet. Do you make tea often? I mean, make your own tea melanges. Is that a legitimate field of biology?" She teased gently, smiling when Lark mock-frowned.

"I'll have you know it's a small but very legitimate field! All the tea-brewing companies in the world vie for my services." They both giggled.

"I knew you have a green thumb, are you actually growing your own tea?"

"Well, not precisely, as I don't have any specimens of _Camellia Sinensis_ in my gardens or here in the lab. I make tea using herbs and fruits mostly. I made sure that everything I used for your melange is pregnancy-proof."

"Pregnancy-proof huh? Well, I guess this will have to do until the twins are born, and I can have coffee again. Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I had a very bad couple of days..."

Lark leaned forward. "I, err, I might have something else that will hopefully brighten your day. I was looking for you to give you this tea, and something else. No one is blind to the fact that the situation here is rather tense, and that prince Nuada is at the center of it. Now, I have been doing some research and tests with the remains of the Forest God." Her voice had taken a solemn, reverent quality. "Did you see it bloom after... after Red killed it?"

Liz could swear that Lark's voice hitched. However, she too remembered the majesty of the great green being.

"I felt so sad hearing that he was the last of its kind. I felt so sad about its death... I like green things, you know that by now I guess." It was a half-hearted attempt at a joke, to hide deeper feelings of grief and some strange feeling of despair Lark had felt as she arrived at the scene after the battle. Those feelings had yet to ebb away. There, she had felt its death in the air, felt some last shred of hope being carried away by the wind. Hearing the story of what happened only confirmed the feeling of sadness that had enveloped her immediately upon entering the site. She had raced up the stair of a nearby building, equipment jostling on her back, hoping to catch some of the strange pollens drifting away on the wind. She had succeeded and brought her little treasure, together with other samples she had taken from the remains of the Forest God, back to the lab. However, the remains had seemed strangely lifeless in the lab.

"So I tried a few things, run a few tests, and set up a few experiments... And I may have... 'found' something, something that you could use as a peace offering to the prince, like I was talking about earlier."

Liz looked up at her, with an expectant expression. It made Lark blush and stutter a bit. Still seated, she leaned down to rummage in her bag sitting next to her chair. Lark felt nervous; she might think that she had something truly valuable, but Liz and the others might not share that opinion. They might even be upset with her as they could possibly view it as dangerous.

She pulled a large, rather dented tin box out of her bag. She put it on the table and removed the lid. She didn't dare look up at Liz as she carefully pushed loamy black earth to the sides, revealing eight green, bean-like objects, which were all softly glowing.

"Are that- No way! These things look exactly like the one that Nuada used to summon that Forest God!"

"Yup. And this _is_ a Forest God. It just hasn't _grown up_ yet."

"They seem so tiny and innocent like this." Liz sounded apprehensive, which Lark didn't notice as she smiled indulgently down at the bulbs.

"Yes, aren't they adorable?" Lark looked up and promptly blushed bright red again when she saw Liz' disbelieving look. She quickly looked down again, with one finger lightly stroking over one of the green bulbs, watching it pulse with a brighter glow for a moment.

"They are so full of life..."

"Are you sure they aren't dangerous? I mean, they could be, if we hand them over to the prince. In his hands they can be very dangerous. A peace offering that can start another fight." Despite her worries Liz also reached out, hesitantly placing a finger on one bulb, watching it glow stronger. "Amazing..."

"You could state some conditions, however, I don't think he will use them like he did before... From what I heard he was making a point... But he must have been sorry for wasting such a beautiful creature! Well, if he _does_ do anything like that again, we will hand them over to the princess!"

Liz laughed, amused. "You sound like a mother hen. If they weren't plants I would ask if you laid them yourself."

Lark's blush turned an even deeper shade, but she had to laugh as well. "I had little to do with growing these little guys. Mother Nature is to be thanked." She pushed the tin box toward Liz. "Here, I really think this will make a good peace offering. Talk about it with Red, see what he thinks."

"I definitely will. Thanks, Lark, I'll keep you updated. And you might have to answer a few questions from Nuada, if he has any."

"You know where to find me."

* * *

_"Out of this wood do not desire to go" _: Shakespear, _A Midsummer Night's Dream _Act 3, scene 1


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer in Chapter 1. Thanks for reviews, follows and taking the time to read this fic.

* * *

**This Wood and Spirit**

**Chapter 2**

When not going through his katas, or shadow-fighting, or even sparring with the demon spawn, unbidden thoughts seemed to press in from all sights.

Nuada did not feel guilty about anything he had done. Filled with grief that it had come to the point where he had to kill his father, yes. But he did not feel guilty about defending himself _and _ his sister.

However, despair did seep in; it slithered unbidden, unchecked, through his mind, draining his conviction away. Leaving him alone with just his hate, his anger, his sorrow, his sense of being powerless to stop his people from fading.

Because if even his sister would rather fade, or even outright die, to stop him from _saving _her from such a fate, what could he do? And why should he bother to try at all?

Now, he realised how great the gap had grown between his twin and him. How much sway his father had gotten over her during the millennia of his exile.

The humans could not be blamed for their actions. It was their nature. As it was in our nature to uphold the truce. It was our honour to keep to it until the end. Or so his father and sister claimed. And so they resigned themselves to fading away.

Was Nuada deluding himself? Was this really meant to be their fate, their destiny?

He guessed that it was, _now_. However, it was not so much Fate, but his people's own _choice_. They created their own final destiny.

So, what was left to him? Was it his fate to fade away too? To watch how the last remains of Nature were snuffed out by the humans? If he could hold on, he was sure he would see this happen. Then, after, the humans would start dying too; they didn't seem to understand that there was no life possible without the Earth with its Life and Nature to sustain them.

Would he hold out, hold on, to see the final fate of this Earth? To see the Earth die, become lifeless?

Apparently, that indeed was the final fate and destiny of this beautiful, wonderful Earth, beloved Creation of their Creator. He was determined to not shy away, to not fade away; he would not be a _coward_. He would not abandon the Earth to suffer her plight alone. He would stand by and see this through till the bitter end. He was a Son of the Earth and would stand with his Mother.

So when the day came when all he knew and loved had crumbled to dust, he would appear before the Creator. He would have no regret or shame, because he knew he had given everything he was, everything he had, for the Earth and her Sons. The Creator might deem his actions insufficient, and perhaps even misguided or hurtful. Nuada would accept whatever the Creator might decide was fitting for him, whether it would be praise or punishment, with his head held high.

So what now?

A very good question.

How long could he stay here, in all but name locked up by humans, with humans? There wasn't anything keeping him here, save his sister.

And even looking at her made her betrayal hurt all over again. He knew he had been overbearing when it came to her, disregarding of her expressed wishes, but he had thought... He had thought that in the end she would have supported_ him_! That she would have allowed him to save her _life_, to save her from _fading away _hidden underneath the humans' polluted cities!

He had thought she would have been on his side, that she would have welcomed him back, that she would have _helped him_.

It hurt. It filled him with despair. Because there was nothing left for him now.

He had wanted to be the saviour of a people that didn't want to be saved.

So he picked up his lance, and went through his routines, fighting against something that couldn't be fought, demanding everything from himself and his body. He might not have to use his skills anymore, but it was all he had left now. He was, and would always be, a warrior, even when there was no more use for him.

"Why the long face, princey?"

Not missing a single beat he continued to move himself through complex series of fighting moves, all executed with deadly precision, with lethal strength and impossible grace; killing unnumbered imaginary foes. Humans, of course.

The demon was next, as he always seemed happy to pick a fight with Nuada. It gave the prince a hollow sort of satisfaction, grinding his face in the dust.

It started to lose some of its appeal though, as the demon was too predictable, too slow, too unimaginative. It was no wonder he had trashed the demon time after time.

And wasn't that one of the bitterest pills to swallow? Being the best warrior hadn't even earned him the crown.

"I might have something to cheer you up." Nuada didn't even deign to look at him. He executed another killing blow before moving on to his next imaginary target.

He registered the clanking of something metal being placed on the table at the far end of the room. Suddenly the scent of fresh, rich earth filled the room, making him take a deep breath. What was it that the demon brought with him?

With one last, blindingly fast move he beheaded his last foe, before retracting the lance, resting it on his shoulder. He walked leisurely towards the demon, eyes trained on some sort of metal box, while the rest of his considerable senses were trained on the demon, never letting his guard down.

When he reached the table, all he saw was the metal box filled with earth. Anger started to simmer, as this could be nothing but another ploy of the demon to get him to interact with him.

Before Red could even blink, Nuada had his lance tip digging into the skin of the demon spawn's jugular, drawing a tiny drop of blood.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Easy! Damn it, it's _in_ the earth, you psychopath!"

Not letting up on the pressure (it felt so _good_ to see the demon dancing on the tips of his toes to stop the spear from digging deeper into his flesh!) Nuada used his other hand to wipe away the dirt. Whatever he had expected, this was not it.

Green seeds. Forest Godlings. Murmuring a greeting to him.

Alive. Healthy. _Here_.

How?!

He carefully picked one of the seeds up, watching as the bulb glowed brighter, happy to be near him.

However, he hadn't forgotten about the demon at his lance point. "Where did you get these?!" The question was snarled, his temper rising. How on Earth had the Bureau come upon Seeds, where there should be none left?! What were these foul humans doing with Seeds of Nature? What kind of unspeakable horrors had they done to come into possession of the seeds? And what kind of twisted plans did they have for them? It was an outrage, a disgrace, for these beautiful creatures to be in the hands of humans!

"One of our employees grew them, apparently. She can give you further details, if you want. However... We are willing to give these to you, even though we all know what you did with the last one. We think that you might need them though, if you listen to what we have to say. We do have a proposition for you. It might be worth listening to, if only for the sake of these little guys."

Nuada just pressed the blade deeper into the demon's throat. The demon in question however, didn't seem that worried anymore.

"Come on, you know you want to." Hellboy actually wiggled his eyebrows at Nuada, quite a disturbing sight to the prince.

_Did_ he want to? Nuada wanted nothing to do with these humans and their nonhuman _pets_. He would not be a weapon or toy for this 'Bureau'. He might not try to destroy humankind anymore, but he would never lift a finger to help them either. Never.

Nevertheless, knowing there were somehow still Seeds of Nature alive on this dying Earth filled him with elation, with joy and maybe even a spark of hope. Maybe. It might be worth listening to the demon and his companions for just this one time. If only to find out how they had come upon the Seeds!

He retracted his spear, not missing the relieved sigh and the rather disgruntled expression on the big demon's face as he rubbed the blood away.

"Damn Elf."

"So, speak. And bring that employee here. I want to speak with her regarding the Seeds."

"Not here. Come on. follow me."

* * *

To say that their proposal was entirely unexpected was putting it mildly. Nuada looked at the hopeful faces around them, chief among them his own sister's. He could still feel her somewhat over their diminishing bond, and she felt so _pleased_ and _happy_ they were offering him this.

This... _mockery_.

"If I understand you correctly, you are offering a... truce? A refuge for me? A kingdom for me to rule?"

"I thought that was obvious." Hellboy grumbled. Nuada sneered. The demon probably had expected him to be overcome with gratitude.

"The unfortunate events from last month happened too fast for the bureau to act upon certain information we had acquired from some of our other branches." The strange suit-man, Krauss, quickly interfered. "Information that would, of course, not let us leave the crown in your hands, but would have had us offer you a truce right then and there. We would have offered you the same conditions and terms as we are offering now. Certain large areas for the Sons of Earth to live in, powerful and permanent safety features to protect your lands and you from human encroachment, legal recognition of your existence and your rights."

_Legal recognition of your excistence and your rights_; Nuada had to restrain himself from making quick work of the pedantic _doktor_. The insult! Like they needed human recognition. However, he was a prince, raised from the cradle to conduct state affairs. He knew how and especially _when_ to restrain himself, and keep his emotions in check. Never let the opponent know what you were thinking.

"To clarify matters, what kind of information did you acquire?"

A few covert glances back and forth between some occupants of the room, mainly Manning, Abe, Krauss and some representatives of the European and Russian branches of the bureau, told Nuada more than enough. This information was apparently quite important.

When there was no quick answer, Nuada pressed on. "I will not make any decisions or treaties when I know that the other party has valuable, potentially dangerous information. Speak up!"

Krauss, after a short hesitation, spoke up again. "We have it confirmed from different, highly reputable and dependable sources that to let the Sons of Earth, and especially the race of the Elves fade away would mean the end of the world, and thereby the end of humankind. If humankind wants to survive, it must make certain the Sons of the Earth do too."

"May I ask who or what your sources are?" Nuada could admit he was mildly curious as to who or what had come to this insight, as he knew humans couldn't look past their own shadow.

"For one, the Oracle of Delphi." Krauss answered after having received a nod from an European representative. "The others are perhaps more obscure, but certainly not less dependable. However, if we can stick to the point here?"

Nuada folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. "So, some of you have figured out the truth. This Earth will survive, no, _it will thrive_, without humans. On the other hand, without the Elves, it will surely die. We are her Children, her guardians, her lifeblood, in a way. When we fade, nature will eventually fade as well. Even though you humans seem to fear and hate anything to do with nature, it is what gives you life, and sustains it. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the earth's fruit you eat, we make it clean, pure and alive."

"So you see the wisdom in a truce. We will keep you from fading, and the Elves will keep the world, and us, from dying."

Nuada smiled slowly, coldly. "Understand this, and understand this well, _human_. I care not about you humans, in fact, could I have been in any way more obvious about that? I only care for the wellbeing of my own people, and for the wellbeing of this Earth. In my opinion, my people and the Earth would be far better off without your prideful, wasteful race to destroy everything that has taken thousands of years to grow and build."

"That may be so, your Highness, but to build a safe home for your people to stay in I am afraid you will need to bargain with us humans." To his credit doktor Krauss maintained his calm, despite the chilling hostility aimed at him and his fellow bureau members.

"I see it the other way around. If you want to live, you better acquiesce to what _I _demand."

"In your dreams, your Ass-ness!" Hellboy growled, thumping his stone fist on the large table they were all gathered around. The table gave a complaining sound, almost cracking in two.

"Now, let us all be reasonable. We think we have a fair and good offer here, your Highness. Our calculations show that it will keep your people from fading, as you will have large enough tracts of mostly untainted and untouched nature to support a sustainable population. Some tracts of land have human settlements, but with a high historical value to your people. We will evacuate the humans living there. We will give you an absolute guarantee that these lands will be yours until the end of time, with no human interference. You will have legal rights to these lands and legal rights to defend yourself from any intruders, humans or otherwise. We will not interfere in your internal government, though we will of course be actively and carefully monitoring your relations with the surrounding 'human' lands, for a lack of better terms. I conclude again, your Highness, this is a very good, honourable offer, and hopefully will be the start of repairing the damage we as a race have done to you and the Earth since the day the Truce between the Sons of the Earth and the humans was agreed upon."

Nuada scoffed at hearing that last sentence. "A _start_ would be all the lands you have encroached upon since the Truce emptied of all humans."

"That is simply impossible." Manning stated loudly, echoed by most of the other people in the room.

"I would beg to differ. However, I think this has lasted long enough. I will not agree to this new truce. I do not accept your terms and conditions. Your truce is an insult to me and mine. You are so convinced of your own righteousness that you cannot see that you are in no state to 'grant' us anything. We are _owed _them. Bah. You can keep your kingdom."

"But Brother, why not?" Princess Nuala had jumped up out of her chair. She looked imploringly at her brother. "Please, reconsider! Bethmoora will be yours once more!"

"Really, Sister?" Nuada had planted both hands on the table, fingers digging deep into the wood in his sudden fury. "What good will Bethmoora do for me when it will be _empty_?! It's empty now and it will remain so! Because our people have decided their fate long ago. _You_ have chosen your fate long ago! You would rather fade than to lay a hair's breadth in the way of the human's path to more greed and power! What kingdom would I reign if I have no subjects to reign over? When all the Sons of the Earth have resigned themselves to just lay down and die?! My kin has forsaken me. They have forsaken the _Earth_, which I find far more abhorrent. _You_, my dear sister, has forsaken us. No." Nuada straightened himself. He had shown too much of his anger but also his grief and despair in this outburst. "No. You can keep the kingdom. A prince I am, and a prince I will stay. Rather this than to rule a people of cowards and quitters. You can fade for all I care." He truly didn't care when he saw tears slowly track down his sister's cheeks. He had made mistakes regarding her, but so had she regarding him.

He turned toward the demon. "I will keep the Seeds however; you aren't fit to care for such a treasure. You will now show me the human who has 'grown' them."

Hellboy stared at him, opening his mouth but thinking better of it. Finally he seemed to come to a decision. "This is not over, princey."

Nuada shrugged, not at all caring if the demon spawn wanted to delude himself.

Hellboy gritted his teeth at the prince's gesture, but continued. "You can keep these things, for now. Just don't go using them in any cities, or something. Call it a sign of our, err, goodwill. Let's go talk to our resident plant goeroe. She can probably answer your questions. It might give you some time to cool down and _think things over_ for a change."

A hastily muffled snort from the pyro reflected the disbelief on Nuada's face. Such words coming from the mouth of Hellboy, of all people. Nuada didn't think he needed to take such words from the demon seriously.


End file.
